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Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anxious People, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenting and Fear
Marriage, Conflict, and Communication
Mental Health and Connection
The Modern World
Assumptions
Summary
Analysis
The young policeman is massaging his forehead when the real estate agent asks how he got the huge lump on his forehead. The policeman explains he got hit in the head and asks if the robber seemed comfortable handling the pistol. Breezily, the Realtor says the pistol was clearly a toy; they all knew that. The Realtor isn’t joking and adds that she wasn’t frightened at all. The policeman goes to get the Realtor water, though she says she doesn’t want any.
The implication here is that the pistol wasn’t actually a toy—again, the Realtor (and seemingly, the other hostages) is making assumptions based on little or no evidence. Meanwhile, the policeman seems to simply need a break from this frustrating interview. He’s human too, and he’s looking for a socially acceptable reason to excuse himself from this interaction.
Themes
